The need to obtain information on two types of vegetation of the paramo ecosystem of Parroquia Pasa, I encourage this research in order to estimate the carbon content stored in the paramo ecosystem of the parish of Pasa, Canton Ambato, province of Tungurahua. Based on an experimental design stratified at random by vegetation type, three sampling units of 400 m 2 each were installed, starting at 3600-4100 m.s. with intervals of 150 m of altitude. The inventory of herbaceous vegetation using the GLORIA method, to record the species, number of individuals and in the arboreal vegetation was registered-, species, number of individuals, height and WTP. For the sampling of aerial biomass and necromass in the general plot circular circular subplots of 314 and 78 m2 were nested, the samples were collected in 4 quadrants of 0.25m2 two in each circular subplot. In the soil behavior samples were taken of 0- 20cm, 20-40cm and 40-60cm, in each plot, the percentage of organic carbon in the soil and the apparent density were evaluated. The results indicate a floristic diversity represented by 44 species, 39 of the herbaceous vegetation and 5 of arboreal vegetation the dominant species are Plantango rigida, Lachemilla orbiculata, Azorella penduculata (Spreng) and Calamagrostis intermedia in the herbaceous vegetation and Polylepis reticulata in the arboreal vegetation. The carbon content stored in the aerial biomass reported a value of 83.88 tC-ha-1 for herbaceous vegetation and of 158.50 tC-ha-1 in the arboreal vegetation, in terms of necromasa with values of 0.89 tC-ha-1 and 7.40 tC-ha-1 respectively. The carbon stored in the soil at 20 cm depth is 111.84 tC-ha-1 the herbaceous vegetation an d 122.45 tC-ha-1 for the arboreal vegetation.
Keywords: ECOSYSTEM PARAMO-VEGETATION HERBÁCEA - ARBOREAL VEGETATION - CARBON- BIOMASS - NECROMASA